BoatYard Eats is bringing food trucks, live music and community space to Lake Norman area Aug. 23

BoatYard Eats is bringing a new type of culinary experience to the Lake Norman area starting Aug. 23.

Set in the former Anchorage Marine about a mile from the waterfront in Cornelius at 18418 Statesville Road, lunch and dinner patrons should expect more than just a restaurant.

The dining establishment itself will offer a full bar as well as small bites and snacks. But the real feature will be the featured food trucks, said Chapel Hill-based Old Swan Development’s David Stockwell, the restaurant’s co-owner. The indoor dining will offer a consistent menu, while the food trucks will offer that element of surprise, with rotating choices for the diner with a curious palate.

It’s all about creating the perfect setting for food truck owners, Stockwell said. “We might never personally stop and eat at a food truck at a gas station. There’s something about that setting that doesn’t seem right. You take that same food truck, you put it at Rural Hill for a festival, or you put it in someone’s backyard and cater a party — I eat at them all the time. All the sudden it’s the surrounding, the scenery that gives the product its validity.”

BoatYard Eats will add to that placemaking, Stockwell said. “These guys already exist in the marketplace, so it’s just a matter of time to educate the community at large that at this corner, at this intersection, this is what you can come to expect from this experience.”

Though it will have a bar, the focus will be on food first: “We’re BoatYard Eats. We’re a restaurant — culinary experience first. We’re not BoatYard Bar. We’re not BoatYard Bar and Grille.”

Live music will be regularly featured as well and will include local and national talent.

BoatYard Eats is located on 3.6 acres at Westmoreland and Statesville roads. Being centrally located in the area makes it a natural fit for a meeting spot for a business meeting or a lunch date, Stockwell said. It will also be a family-friendly space. Kids — and adults — can play on antique boats on the property, and there will also be a bocce ball court.

“This would be a true community place. We want this to be Cornelius’ shiny penny, we want it to be a place that the community is proud of. If your brother or sister were to come visit you from out of town, you would take them here because he doesn’t have this experience where he’s from,” Stockwell said.

The grand opening celebration will be 11 a.m. to midnight Aug. 23.

This story was originally published August 20, 2018 at 2:00 AM.